Barry Finishes Fourth, Lynn Ninth at Men's Golf Championship
All four rounds are in the books at the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships. Barry finished fourth in the final standings, while Lynn tied for ninth. Sonoma State won the national championship in a one-hole playoff with Cal State-San Bernardino. A round-by-round recap appears below.
TUESDAY, MAY 19 (ROUND ONE):
Barry got things off to a good start in the opening round of the of the DII Championship, carding a 293 to tie with Sonoma State atop the leaderboard. The squads hold a four-stroke lead over third-place Northeastern State. Lynn sits seven strokes back in fifth place after posting a first-round score of 300.
Individually, Gene Webster of Cal State-San Bernardino shot a one-under 70 to take first place. Barry's Victor Billskoog is one of five players knotted at second with a 71. Lynn's Patricio Salem and Florida Southern's Brian Richey carded one-over 72s to tie for seventh.
Play resumes with round two on Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 (ROUND TWO):
Barry's second round 290 was enough to give the Buccaneers sole possession of first place at the midway point of the NCAA DII Championship. Barry's two-round 583 is one stroke better than Cal State-San Bernardino's 584. Sonoma State and Columbus State sit six strokes behind the Bucs, tied for third with a 589. Georgia State is fifth with a 590. Lynn shaved eight strokes off its first-round score, tallying a day two 292 to place sixth with a total tally of 592.
CSUB's Gene Webster still holds the top spot individually, posting a one-under 141. Barry's Victor Billskoog and Chris Carlin sit just three strokes back and are tied for fourth with a 144. Lynn's Steven Brame is tied for eighth with a 145. Florida Southern's Brian Richey carded a second-round 78 to slip to a tie for 36th with a total score of 150.
THURSDAY, MAY 21 (ROUND THREE):
Both Barry and Lynn struggled a bit in round three at the DII championships, posting their highest scores of the tournament. Barry (293-290-304=887) shot a 304 on Wednesday to slip to second with a total score of 887, eight strokes behind the leader. With one round remaining, Cal State-San Bernardino (298-286-295=879) took over the top spot, shooting a third-round 295 to take their total score to 879. Sonoma State and Columbus State are tied for third, just one stroke behind Barry with a score of 888. Georgia College & State University rounds out the top five with an 891.
Lynn (300-292-306=898) posted a third-round score of 306 and joined Ferris State in a tie for seventh with a tally of 898.
Gene Webster continues to hold down the top spot in the individual standings with an even- par 213. Barry's Chris Carlin is tied for fourth with a four-over 217. Lynn's Steven Brame is tied for sixth with a score of 219 (+6). FSC's Brian Richey made up some ground on Wednesay, climbing into a tie for 26th with a 224 (+11).
The final round of the championship will be played Friday.
Barry and Lynn are vying for the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship May 19-22 in Blaine, Wash. Florida Southern's Brian Richey is also competing for the individual title. Read below for a round-by-round recap.
FRIDAY, MAY 22 (FINAL ROUND):
There wasn't much separating the top four teams when the final round concluded at the NCAA Division II Championship, and when the dust settled, Barry finished fourth in the final standings. The Buccaneers (293-290-304-296=1183) ended just four strokes behind Cal State-San Bernardino (298-286-295-300=1179) and Sonoma State (293-296-299-291=1179), which tied for first with a score of 1,179. Sonoma State won the national title on the first playoff hole, shooting an even-par on the 18th hole, while CSUB was one-over.
Columbus State (301-288-299-294=1182) was third with a tally of 1,182, and Barry was right on its heels with a score of 1,183.
CSU-San Bernardino actually shot one of the highest rounds of the day, carding a 300, but the eight-stroke lead the Coyotes built in Thursday's third round was enough to help them stay atop the leaderboard. Sonoma State scorched the course with a 291, the best round of the day, to climb into a tie for the top spot. Barry tallied a solid 296 in Friday's final round.
Lynn turned in a final-round 303 to conclude the event with a score of 1,201 to tie for ninth place with North Alabama.
Despite leading for three rounds, CSUB's Gene Webster was not able to clinch the individual title. Ferris State's Kelbi Lee and Gavin Smith of Indiana (Pa.) tied for medalist honors with a final score of 289 (+5). In the end, Smith claimed the individual national championship with a birdie on the first playoff hole. Webster wound up tied for third with a six-over 290. Lynn's Steven Brame had a nice tournament, tying for fifth with a final score of 292 (+8). Chris Carlin was Barry's highest finisher, tying for 17th with a score of 296 (+12). Florida Southern's Brian Richey tied for 20th with a 13-over 297.
